Look, a Couple of Teenagers Who Don’t Care About Facebook

"Mom, I use Instagram. You probably haven't heard of it."

Bad news, guys. The LA Times thinks Facebook might be losing its cool factor among the youth. And once you lose the teenagers, well, you’ve basically lost the Internet. That’s how it works, right?

Reports the Times:

With more than 900 million users, Facebook remains the most popular online hangout. But some young people are turning their attention elsewhere. They are checking out new mobile apps, hanging out on Tumblr and Twitter, and sending plain-old text messages from their phones. Their goal is to hook up with smaller circles of friends and share their thoughts and feelings away from the prying eyes of Mom and Dad.

Except, well, the numbers aren’t really there to support such a sweeping conclusion. Says one researcher: “Just because teens are using other services like Twitter and Tumblr more — and they are using these services in huge amounts — doesn’t mean they’re using Facebook less.” Also, 93 percent of teens who use social networking sites have a Facebook account.

We’d humbly suggest that, rather than assuming that Facebook is ipso facto toast, perhaps the LA Times should consider an alternative explanation for these unimpressed users. Namely: They’ve found a couple of proto-hipsters. Facebook is just so mainstream now, you know? Listen to this kid: “I guess I haven’t been that interested in it,” one teen told the paper. She apparently “prefers sharing photos with friends on Instagram via her iPhone or video chatting with them on Google+.”

Presumably she punctuated her sentence with an exaggeratedly casual shrug, followed by the studied adjustment of her sunglasses. Oh, youth.

Betabeat is now the newly launched Innovation section of the Observer. All your favorite features and columns—as well as exciting new areas of tech coverage—can now be found at Observer.com/Innovation.

Don't miss the latest and best writing on technology and the future of business innovation. Add the Innovation section to your RSS feed and follow the Observer on Twitter and Facebook.